The Sri Lankan Supreme Court has ordered the government to organize local elections, against the decision of President Ranil Wickremesinghe who invoked the economic crisis to postpone them.
A final decision on the new polling date will be taken next week, the Electoral Commission said.
The Supreme Court, the country's highest court, has ordered the Treasury to grant funds for the elections originally scheduled for March 9, but postponed indefinitely last week when the government refused to fund them.
The court issued a restraining order preventing the head of the Treasury and President Wickremesinghe from "
withholding funds allocated in the 2023 budget for the organization of local elections
".
Ranil Wickremesinghe had said that the island country, hit by an unprecedented economic crisis, needed the funds to finance salaries and pensions.
First electoral test
Intended to appoint local councillors, these elections will be the first electoral test for Ranil Wickremesinghe since his election by parliament.
Months of protests and political unrest culminated in the ousting of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July, after an angry mob stormed his official residence.
He is held responsible for the crisis affecting the country: last year, Sri Lanka suffered severe shortages of food, fuel and pharmaceuticals, as well as long power cuts.
These elections are seen by many as a de facto referendum on the unpopular austerity measures imposed to secure a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka on Friday raised its key rates by 100 basis points to 16.5%, the highest rate in 22 years, in the face of pressure from the IMF.
This increase should make it possible to accomplish the “
preliminary actions
” necessary to release this rescue plan of 2.9 billion dollars which is still in negotiation, declared the central bank.
Opposition parliamentarians have accused Wickremesinghe of using the economic crisis as an excuse to sabotage democracy by delaying elections.